IPL 6: Chennai Super Kings crush Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils' miserabale IPL campaign continued with Chennai Super Kings thrashing the hapless team by for their sixth consecutive loss at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Thursday.

Chasing 170 to win, Delhi's batsmen were no match for the Chennai bowlers as they capitulated to be bowled out for a mere 83 runs in the 18th over.

All the Super Kings' bowlers came to the party, with Haryana medium-pacer Mohit Sharma leading the field with three wickets. Interestingly, Sharma was drafted in to the squad in place of the injured Dirk Nannes.

Mike Hussey returned to the side to top-score with a 50-ball 66. Pic/AFP

Earlier, Hussey struck an unbeaten half-century while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni cashed in on a dropped chance to smash his way to a 23-ball 44 as Chennai Super Kings amassed 169 for four.

Hussey carried his bat through the innings with a well-crafted 50-ball 66, which was laced with six fours and two sixes, while Suresh Raina (30) contributed up front as the CSK top-order entertained the packed crowd at Delhi's Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium.

The last five overs yielded 54 runs as Delhi skipper Mahela Jayawardene's ploy to keep rotating his bowlers failed.

Electing to bat, Chennai Super Kings were off to a good start, courtesy openers Murali Vijay and Hussey. Both went about their business in style with Vijay smacking two fours off Umesh Yadav in his first over.

South African pacer Morne Morkel broke the 30-run opening wicket stand when he had Vijay trapped in front for 18. Raina made his intentions clear from the outset, driving the very first delivery he faced from Morkel through the covers.

Chennai Super Kings raced to 39 for one at the end of mandatory power play. But what followed, to the surprise of many, was Jayawardene's decision to bring Virender Sehwag into the attack. Sehwag, rolling his arms over for the first time in a long while, drew the loudest applause from the crowd as he looked at ease while bowling his off-breaks.

The Delhi pacers kept it quiet for a while before Raina broke the shackles with two consecutive fours off Yadav, who returned for his second spell, in the 11th over. Hussey, too, followed suit as he clobbered Ajit Agarkar for a four and a six over mid-wicket to raise the 50-run partnership for the second wicket.

MS Dhoni cashed in on a dropped chance to smash his way to a 23-ball 44. Pic/Getty Images

Both looked set for the final assault when Irfan Pathan brought the downfall of Raina, who was caught by wicket-keeper Kedhar Jadhav while looking to smack one over the off side. Raina's 32-ball 30 was laced with five fours.

Dhoni promoted himself up the order, ahead of Subramaniam Badrinath, and the captain justified the move as he launched an all-out attack on the Delhi bowlers. Jayawardene kept on rotating his bowlers but to no avail as Dhoni and Hussey put on display their vast repertoire of stroke-play.

If the lacklustre display by the Delhi bowlers was not enough, the miseries were further compounded by their butter-fingered fielders. Dhoni was dropped by Agarkar at long-off off Yadav, when he was on 19. Agarkar misjudged the catch completely as he was left with no other option but to shake his head in disbelief.

Hussey and Dhoni brought together the 50-run partnership for the third wicket in just 27 balls as the overs between 13-18 yielded 56 runs for CSK.

Both had saved the best for Morkel as the South African paceman was clobbered for three fours and a six for 19 runs in his last over. Dhoni was dismissed in the last over of the innings but by then, he had done his job.